Ms Delogu has witnessed a drunken brawl which took place at the height of rush hour and was told that another stall owner was threatened.

She added: "A drunken man fell into fencing and as he laid on the ground, his friends were laughing.

"It was a high footfall period and it was obstructing the path out of the 51'02 tunnel. There were children, mothers with push chairs trying to get through. I asked a customer if he could help me lift the fencing up.

"The drunken male and his friend weren't happy about this. Every time we managed to lift it up, they'd kick it down. They began kicking at it.

"His friend began pushing me back. The fencing was separating us. He kept trying his best to push me down but I wasn't going to let him.

"I thought he had walked away but not before he came back and tried to attack me. I was lucky he only got hold of my arm.

"Eventually a member of the public intervened and he was ushered offsite by the guy who started the incident as my staff member was on the phone to the police.

"I really thought that today was the day I was going to get beat up in the Bearpit."

The Bear Pit has become a gathering point for many people in Bristol

She added: "I walked away shaken. The police response was great. I've given my statement. Forensics have taken pictures of the injuries and now we just have to catch the person."

A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: "We are aware that there have been a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the Bearpit in recent weeks. We are working proactively with the police and traders within the area to address these problems.

"We have used our powers to prevent a number of individuals from entering the Bearpit, and we have obtained two injunctions, which has led to an arrest."

"As well as this, we have helped two people back into accommodation, and are working with another two people to try and find a similar outcome. We will continue to work to identify individuals associated with these problems so we can offer them support, or use enforcement where relevant."